Maeros (myth)
Arch-Deity Maeros (1st Age) One of the little-known legends of the first age involves an ancient and nigh all-powerful deity named Maeros. Believed to be the source of all Magic, as well as the progenitor of all of the other gods, Maeros is attributed with having shaped the very world itself, the ley lines themselves being the very veins of his deific body. Over time, however, Maeros began to go mad by his infinite power and the infinite complexity of magical knowledge. Driven by his madness, the world began to be torn asunder through the chaos of unbridled magical power - and in the middle of the 1st Age, seeing the destruction which his own fragmenting mind was creating, Maeros made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of his creation - and gave up his own supremacy, splitting himself into two deities: Vannevar and Hamaan. To Vannevar, Maeros gave all knowledge of pattern (Yin) magic. To Hamaan, Maeros gave all knowledge of entropic (Yang) magic. Intending that the two halves of his fragmented being would work in harmony, keeping balance in the world, Maeros, as a deity, began to fade from existence. Over the ensuing centuries, Hamaan's chaotic nature and Vannevar's solidarity of pattern and form became unable to coexist - and with Maeros' conscious existence nearly disappeared from the land, the deities waged war on one another. It is the wake of this war to which is attributed the splitting of the lands of the planet into separate continents - the end of the 1st Age. Sensing his creation once again in danger - Maeros' consciousness gave its final decree - and faded from existence - speaking Ius into existence to act as the ultimate judge and arbiter of conflict among gods and men alike - and tasked with resolving the conflict between Vannevar and Hamaan, bringing balance. According to legend, Ius - granted infinite power for the single task of adjudication of conflict - summoned both deities to him and listened to their stories. His decree was that Hamaan's chaotic nature had imbalanced the world, and banished the deity from the physical world "until such time as his influence would once again bring balance, rather than decay it." While there is no specific evidence to support this, many scholars maintain that Hamaan still influences the world to some degree as the god known as Aloastor. The Celestial Accord (3nd Age) Legends state that the end of the 2nd Age came about in the wake of a vicious war among the heavens, leading to incredible conflicts in the mortal world as well. War, famine and hatred spread across all of the lands, and while many conflicts were seemingly a result of this kind of social unrest, major wars also erupted directly between the followers of opposing gods. Scholars maintain that at any time in which there is chaos in the heavens, mortals are overwhelmed with the ripple effects of such conflict - and thus the world is plunged into chaos as well. The legends go on to state that near the end of the 2nd Age, two major alliances were formed: the Celestial Council, led by Alastrina, Haddon and Vannevar, and the Infernal Machinum, a partnership between Aloastor and Hexxtor (there are various stories, some of which also include Qualmish in this alliance). The commonly accepted outcome of the battle between these two sides is that through sheer force of will, as well as the wisdom and insight of Vannevar, the heroic gods of the Celestial Council prevailed, and that in the terms of the surrender, it was agreed that the Council would remain in charge of overseeing the world and its activities for the next Age (the 3rd Age). This treaty has now lasted for over 15,000 years, and for the most part, it is not discussed - as it is "... impossible for we mere mortals to comprehend what constitutes the beginning or ending of an Age in the minds of the gods." - High Priest Palar Ognizeus (3A345 - 3A409)